Storage spool with coiled liner

ABSTRACT

A strip component ( 12 ) is carried by a liner ( 52 ) into a storage spool (24) having spiral grooved flanges ( 36, 38 ) for edges of the liner ( 52 ) which are guided into the grooves by guide rods ( 66, 74 ) which do not interfere with the transporting of the strip component ( 12 ) into and out of the spool ( 24 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for building a tireincluding storing strip material, such as tire tread or sidewalls afterextrusion and before application to an unvulcanized tire withoutdeforming the strip material while it is being transported and is instorage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Heretofore, strip material for building a tire has been carried on aliner and stored on a spool with the individual layers of linerseparating the individual layers of strip material. The weight of theouter layers of the strip material was carried by the inner layers ofstrip material and has deformed the inner layers. This has beenespecially undesirable when the strip material had a predetermined crosssectional profile shape, as in the case of a tread or sidewall of atire.

It has been proposed in Japanese Patent A 61111261 to coil a liner inspiral slots of the flanges of a winding spool and during the winding ofthe liner feeding an extruded tire sidewall into the pocket between thelayers of the liner to prevent deformation of the sidewall. In order toguide the liner into the spiral slots, the liner was reduced in width bypulling it through a carved former. This precluded using the liner totransport the sidewall into or out of the spool. Accordingly, thesidewall was not provided with any support from an extruder spaced fromthe spool to a position within the spool on the coiled liner. This isnot desirable because it permits stretching and uncontrolled deformationof the sidewall between the extruder and the spool. Uncontrolledstretching of the sidewall is also a problem during transporting of thesidewall from the spool to a conveyor during unloading of the spool.This is especially a problem with other strip components for tires whereuniformity of the strip components is necessary to provide tires whichmeet the high standards required at this time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for storing and transporting a stripcomponent in a spool having a hub and flanges with spiral grooves on theinner faces of the flanges. Edges of a liner are pulled into the spiralgrooves in the flanges of the spool and the liner coils form a pocket inwhich the strip material is supported and protected. The edges of theliner maintain the liner coils in spaced relation so that the stripmaterial is not compressed or deformed. The liner is made of a materialwhich is stiff enough to support the strip material when it is suspendedbetween the interfaces of the flanges and has sufficient resiliency sothat the edges can bend and spring into the spiral grooves of theflanges during winding of the liner on the spool. This resilience of theliner permits removal of the liner edges from the spiral grooves as itis unwound from the spool. By supporting the liner in a coiledconfiguration in the grooved flanges of the spool, the liner is held inthe shape of a hoop which provides increased strength to support thestrip material.

Guides are provided to engage the edges of the liner before it entersthe spool for bending the edges of the liner in a direction normal tothe line of travel of the liner and urging the edges into the spiralgrooves. The guides do not obstruct the passage of the liner into thepocket of the spool and therefore the liner may be utilized to supportand transport the strip material from an extruder or other strip formingapparatus to the spool in a supported condition. This is highlydesirable to maintain the shape and dimensions of the strip materialespecially when it is still in a heated condition. The liner may also beused to support and transport the strip material during unloading of thespool.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method ofstoring strip material in a spool without compressing portions of thestrip material underlying other portions of the strip materialcomprising:

a. attaching a first end of a liner to the spool, the spool havingspaced-apart flanges with spiral grooves in the axially inward opposingsurfaces of the flanges for receiving edges of the liner,

b. wrapping a second end of the liner around a liner storage spool,characterized by;

c. depositing the strip material on the liner,

d. guiding the edges of the liner into the spiral grooves formingspaced-apart coils while carrying the strip material into space betweensaid coils.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is providedapparatus for loading and storing strip material in a spool rotatablymounted on a supporting structure, the spool comprising a generallycylindrical core having axially outer ends and an axis, first and secondflanges having an axially inner surface and an axially outer surface,and being fixedly attached to one of the axially outer ends of the coreand each inner surface having a spiral groove extending radiallyoutwardly from a radially inward starting point on each of the flangesnear an interface of the core and the flanges, an elastically deformableliner having elastically deformable edges characterized by a pair ofguide rods positioned adjacent each inner surface for engagement withthe edges to selectively guide the edges into the grooves providing anunobstructed center portion of the liner for carrying the strip materialinto the spaces between overlapping convolutions of the liner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a storage and transport cart in position forreceiving an extruded tread from an extruder and carrying the tread on aliner guided into spiral grooves in flanges of a storage spool carriedby the cart.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the spool showing the spiral flanges.

FIG. 3 is an elevation showing the spiral grooves in one of the flanges.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of the spool and guide rodsshown in FIG. 1 with one of the spool flanges and the guide supportingarms and beams broken away to show the positions of the guide rods, theliner and the tread at the beginning of the wind up process.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5—5 in FIG. 4 showingthe position of the guide rods and the tread on the liner in the emptyposition of the spool.

FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 5 showing the position of the guide rods andthe tread on the liner in the full position of the spool.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of the guide rod mountingstaken along 7—7 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevation of the mounting taken along line 8—8in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1, a storage and support cart is shown forstoring a strip of material, such as a tread 12 for a tire, which may beextruded from an extruder 14, located in a position where the cart 10 isrolled close enough to receive the tread from a conveyor 16 extending toa position over the cart. The transport cart 10 has a frame 18 supportedon rollers 20. A pair of vertical spaced apart stanchions 22 is mountedon the frame 18. A spool 24 having a spool shaft 26 is rotatably mountedin bearings 28, supported by the stanchions 22.

The spool 24 has a generally cylindrical core 30 with axially outer ends32 and 34 fastened to the flanges 36,38 of the spool 24, inner faces40,42 of the flanges 36,38 each has a spiral groove 44,46 extendingradially outwardly from a radially inward starting point on each of theflanges 36,38 near an inner face of the core 30 and the flanges 36 and38. This is shown in the cross section of the spool 24 in FIG. 2. Adetailed view of the spiral groove 44 in the flange 36 is shown in FIG.3.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a storage roll 48 is mounted on the frame 18and has a shaft 50 engageable with a suitable drive means for rotatingthe roll to wrap a liner 52 around the roll prior to loading the spool24. Preferably the liner 52 is an elastically deformable material havingelastically deformable edges 54 and 56.

A bridge roller 58 is supported on beams 60,62 mounted on the stanchions22 at a position adjacent the spool for guiding the liner 52 to thespool 24. A stripper roller 64 may be mounted under the bridge roller 58to facilitate stripping of the treads 12 from the bridge roller whenunloading the tread 12 from the spool 24.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the position of the spool 24 in the emptycondition is shown. The liner 52 extends from the storage roll 48 pastthe stripper roll 64 and over the bridge roller 58 in between the spoolflanges 36 and 38 to the core 30 where it is fastened to the core bysuitable means. A suitable power means (not shown) is attached to thespool shaft 26 for rotating the spool in a clockwise direction. Thetread 12, is extruded from the extruder 14 and carried by the conveyor16 to a position where the liner 52 passes over the bridge roller 58.The tread 12 is then deposited on the liner 52 and carried to a positionspaced from the surface of the core 30 where the edges 54,56 of theliner are in engagement with the grooves 44,46 of the flanges 36 and 38.This storing of the tread 12 between the coils of the liner 52 continuesuntil the spool 24 is filled and tread 12 is coiled in the spool.

In accordance with this invention, a first pair of guide rods 66,68 isslidably mounted on upper arms 70,72 attached to the stanchions 22. Asecond pair of guide rods 74,76 is fastened to a lower arms 78 and 80attached to the stanchions 22. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the mountingof one of the second pair of guide rods 74 on the lower arm 78 is shownin detail to illustrate how the other guide rods 76 of the second pairand the first pair of guide rods 66,68 are mounted for adjustment. Therod 74 is U-shaped and has a supporting end 82 clamped in a flange clamp84 mounted on a slide 86 fastened to the lower arm 78 attached to one ofthe stanchions 22. A guiding end 88 of the rod 74 is positioned betweenthe spool flanges 36,38 and connected to the supporting end 82 by a bentportion 90 which extends around the edge of the spool flange 38. Theflange clamp 84 has an adjusting screw 94, which may be turned to clampthe rod or release the clamping pressure to permit adjustment of the rodvertically or rotationally. The vertical adjustment may be desirable toremove the rod 74 or insert the rod during assembly. The rotation of therods 74 may be desirable to position the guiding end 88 at a desireddistance from the spool flange 38 for guiding the edges of the liner 52.The slide 86 provides for movement of the rod in a generally radialdirection towards or away the core 30.

In operation the spool 24 is rotated in a clockwise direction as shownin FIG. 7 by a power means attached to the spool shaft 26 in a mannerwell known in the art of tire component transport carts. The liner 52,which is attached to the core 30 of the spool, is then wrapped aroundthe core. The edges of the liner 52 are guided into the spiral grooves44,46 in flanges 36,38 by the rods 66,68 and 74,76 which are positionedadjacent the inner faces of the flanges and separate the edges from theinner faces as the liner is pulled into the space between the flanges.When the liner 52 reaches a point past the second pair of rods 74,76 theedges, which are adjacent to the spiral grooves 36,38 of the flanges,are guided into the grooves. At this time, the liner 52 is also shapedin a cylindrical configuration providing rigidity and hoop strength forsupporting the tread 12 positioned between the coils of the liner 52.The liner 52 is fed from the liner storage roll 48 on the cart 10 overthe bridge roller 58 into the spool 24. The tread 12 is deposited on theliner 52 after it passes over the bridge roller 58 and has tread edgeswhich are spaced from the edges of the liner 54,56 so that even thoughthe rods 66,68,74,76 reduce the width of the liner for feeding the edgesinto the spiral grooves 44,46, the tread 12 is not deformed. Between thebridge roller 58 and the spool 24 the tread 12 is supported to preventstretching or other deformation of the tread. After reaching the spool24 the tread 12 is encapsulated between the coils of the liner 52 andsupported in the spool 24 until it is to be applied to other tirecomponents on a tire building drum (not shown). The storage cart 10 maybe moved to a location adjacent the tire building drum and the tread 12fed from the spool 24 to the bridge roller 58 by rotating the spool 24in a counter clockwise direction. This may be accomplished by connectingthe liner spool shaft 26 to a power source and rotating the spool 24 ina clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 1. The liner 52 supports andconveys the tread 12 out of the storage spool 24 with the edges of theliner being pulled out of the grooves and the tread 12 separated fromthe liner at the bridge roller 58 by passing the liner 52 over thestripper roll 64 adjacent the bridge roller. The tread 12 may besupported by server components after leaving the bridge roller 58 tomaintain a predetermined shape.

During the above operation, the liner edges are initially urged awayfrom the spiral grooves 44,46 of the flanges 36,38 with the second pairof guide rods 74,76. Then the edges are guided into the grooves 44,46 bythe first pair of guide rods 66,68. Preferably, the second pair of guiderods 74,76 have a larger diameter which may be 1 inch (2.54 cm) and thefirst pair of guide rods 66,68 have a smaller diameter which may be0.625 inches (1.59 cm). The smaller diameter of the first pair of rods66,68 facilitate the entrance of the liner edges into the grooves 44,46.

During loading of the spool 24 the rods 66, 68, 74, 76 are pulledtowards the center of the spool on the slides 86 by the movement of theliner 52 as it is wrapped around the spool 24.

Then as the liner 52 is guided into the spiral grooves 44,46 and thediameter of the coiled liner is increased, the liner surface bearsagainst the guiding ends 88 of the rods and urges the rods in adirection radially outward of the spool. This facilitates the guidanceof the liner edges 54,56 into the spiral grooves 44,46 and the storingof the tread 12 between the coils of the liner 52.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of storing strip material in a spoolwithout compressing portions of said strip material underlying otherportions of said strip material comprising: a. attaching a first end ofa liner to said spool, said spool having spaced-apart flanges withspiral grooves in the axially inward opposing surfaces of said flangesfor receiving edges of said liner, b. supplying a second end of saidliner from a liner storage roll, characterized by; c. depositing a stripmaterial on said liner, d. guiding said edges of said liner into saidspiral grooves after depositing said strip material on said liner andthen forming spaced-apart coils while carrying said strip material intosaid space between said coils.
 2. The method of claim 1 furthercharacterized by guiding said edges into said spaces between said coilsby guide rods positioned between said edges and said flanges for bendingsaid edges without distorting said strip material.
 3. The method ofclaim 2 further characterized by said guide rods comprising a first pairof said guide rods positioned within the space between said flangesadjacent positions where said edges are bent for guiding said edges intosaid spiral grooves.
 4. The method of claim 3 further characterized bysaid guide rods comprising a second pair of guide rods positionedradially outward of said first pair for bending said edges as said lineris pulled between said flanges.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein saidfirst pair of guide rods and said second pair of guide rods are slidablymounted for movement radially of said spool between said flangescharacterized by said liner edges pulling said guide rods radiallyinward of said flanges upon rotation of said spool and pushing saidflanges radially outward as said liner fills said spiral grooves and isincreased in diameter.
 6. The method of claim 4 wherein said second pairof guide rods have a greater diameter than said first pair characterizedby said second pair providing initial bending of said edges of saidliner as said liner is pulled between said spiral grooved flanges andsaid first pair of guide rods for guiding said edges into said spiralgrooves.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein said spool is mounted on atransport cart and said liner has a storage roll mounted on said cartfurther characterized by guiding said liner from said storage roll to apredetermined position prior to passage between said flanges anddepositing said strip material on said liner at said position andtransporting said strip material on said liner to said spool.
 8. Themethod of claim 7 further characterized by transporting said stripmaterial on said liner from said spool to said predetermined positionduring unloading of said spool.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the step of: supporting said strip material as it is fed intosaid spool.
 10. Apparatus for loading and for storing strip material ina spool rotatably mounted on a supporting structure, said spoolcomprising a generally cylindrical core having axially outer ends and anaxis, first and second flanges having an axially inner surface and anaxially outer surface, and being fixedly attached to one of said axiallyouter ends of said core and each said inner surface having a spiralgroove extending radially outwardly from a radially inward startingpoint on each of said flanges near an interface of said core and saidflanges, an elastically deformable liner having elastically deformableedges characterized by a first pair of guide rods positioned adjacenteach said inner surface for engagement with said edges to selectivelyguide said edges into said grooves providing an unobstructed centerportion of said liner for carrying said strip material into the spacebetween overlapping coils of said liner.
 11. Apparatus according toclaim 10 further characterized by a second pair of guide rods positionedadjacent each said inner surface at positions between said first pair ofguide rods and outer edges of said flanges for spacing said edges fromeach said axially inner surface as said liner is wrapped around saidspool.
 12. Apparatus according to claim 11 further characterized by atleast one of said first pair of guide rods and said second pair of guiderods being slidably mounted on said supporting structure for movement ofsaid first and second guide rods radially inward with said edges of saidstrip material and movement radially outward in response to contact ofsaid guide rods with said liner as it coiled around said spool and thediameter increased.
 13. Apparatus according to claim 10 furthercharacterized by at least one of said first and second pair of guiderods being U shaped for mounting on supporting members positionedoutside said spool wherein one end of each of said first and secondguide rods is located between said flanges and an opposite end islocated outside said flanges.
 14. Apparatus according to claim 13further characterized by said opposite end of each of said first andsecond guide rods is rotatably adjustable for selecting the distancebetween said one end of each of said guide rods to adjust the engagementpressure on said edges.
 15. Apparatus according to claim 10 furthercharacterized by said supporting structure comprising a transport carthaving a frame supported on rollers, spaced stanchions for supportingsaid spool, a storage roll mounted on said cart for storing said liner,a bridge roller mounted on said cart at a predetermined positionadjacent said spool for guiding said liner to said spool and receivingsaid strip material prior to passage of said liner into said spoolwhereby said strip material is supported while being wrapped on saidspool.
 16. Apparatus according to claim 15 further characterized by aspool shaft for connection to a first drive means for rotating saidspool to coil said liner and strip material on said spool.
 17. Apparatusaccording to claim 16 further characterized by a storage roll shaft forconnection to second drive means to rotate said storage roll and pullsaid liner and said strip material out of said spool during unloading ofsaid transport cart.
 18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said stripmaterial is supported as it is fed into said spool.